1935 Boston Braves season

The 1935 Boston Braves season saw the Braves finish with the worst record in the National League and the majors, with a record of 38 wins and 115 losses.

In an attempt to make his dream come true to manage, Babe Ruth came to the Braves in February 1935. He was hired as vice president and assistant manager, and team owner Emil Fuchs promised Ruth a share of team profits.

Offseason

• October 2, 1934: Bill Lewis was drafted by the Braves from the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 rule 5 draft.^[1]
• February 26, 1935: Babe Ruth was signed as a free agent by the Braves.^[2]

Regular season

On opening day, Babe Ruth was part of all of the Braves' runs in a 4-2 win over the New York Giants. However, Ruth was only a shadow of his former self, as years of high living had made a shambles of his conditioning. He couldn't run, and his fielding was so terrible that three of the Braves' pitchers threatened to go on strike if Ruth were in the lineup. A month into the season, Ruth stopped hitting as well. It soon became obvious that Ruth's titles as vice president and assistant manager were mere window dressing, and that he was only on the team due to the attention he commanded. He also discovered that rather than give him a share of the Braves' profits, Fuchs expected him to invest some of his money in the team.^[3]

Seeing a team in utter collapse and realizing he was finished as a player, Ruth retired on June 1, six days after he had had what remains one of the most memorable afternoons in baseball history. He clouted what turned out to be the last three home runs of his career in a game at Forbes Field while playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. He'd wanted to quit as early as May 12, but Fuchs wanted him to hang on so he could play in every National League park. Fuchs lost control of the team soon afterward.^[3]

Despite fielding essentially the same team that finished fourth a year earlier, the 1935 season quickly turned into a debacle. In fact, their Opening Day win was the only time they were over .500 all year. The Braves finished 38-115, the worst season in franchise history. Their .248 winning percentage is the third-worst in baseball history (behind only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders and 1916 Philadelphia Athletics) and the second-worst in modern baseball history. During the season, Braves pitcher Ben Cantwell would be the last pitcher in the 20th century to lose at least 25 games in one season.^[4]

Season standings

Notable transactions

• June 1, 1935: Babe Ruth announces his retirement.
• August 5, 1935: Shanty Hogan was released by the Braves.^[5]

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Farm system

^[6]

See also

• List of worst Major League Baseball season records

Notes

References

• Boston Braves team page at Baseball Reference
• 1935 Boston Braves team page at www.baseball-almanac.com